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Nemo: Will the politicians get it right this time?

It’s not just millions of Northeasterners bracing themselves as the latest superstorm bears down — elected officials in the eye of Nemo face a potential make-or-break moment for their public image.

They can come out with their reputation enhanced like New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie after Hurricane Sandy — the picture of a leader in command, directing resources to storm-ravaged families — or battered like George W. Bush after Hurricane Katrina, who was seen as distant and disengaged while New Orleans flooded and paid a price politically for the rest of his term.

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Winter storm Nemo already dumped two feet-plus of snow on the Northeast, a real-time test for mayors and governors expected to handle preparation and response with aplomb.

“For executive politicians — the president and governors in the case of truly massive crises, like Katrina and Sandy, and mayors for disruptive events of any size — there’s no more important test of competence in voters’ minds,” said Democratic strategist Jonathan Prince. “There’s obviously a huge range of opinion when it comes to the size and role of government in America, but the one expectation people from the tea party to the socialist party share is effective disaster response. If elected leaders can’t handle that, voters are apt to write them off pretty darn quick.”

“Visiting w/truck drivers & surveying roads,” he wrote in one post. “Conditions will deteriorate as day continues. Please prepare to stay in for storm.” As he has before, Booker plans to personally help people shovel out after the storm. “I hope all who are able lend a hand tomorrow,” he tweeted.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who’s been through this drill several times before, held a press conference Friday outlining the city’s plans for snow removal and encouraging city residents to stay safe.

“You can’t take nature too lightly,” he said. “Hopefully it won’t be anything drastic and certainly it’s not going to be a Hurricane Sandy, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get badly hurt or killed if you’re not careful.”

Christie, too, has been actively outlining storm preparations in his state. The governor has been posting safety information to his Twitter feed and gave a press conference Friday to discuss storm conditions.

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, whose state is expected to get some of the biggest snow totals, declared a state of emergency in Massachusetts and announced that cars would be banned from the road after 4 p.m.